Japanese photographer and writer Kyoichi Tsuzuki documents the relationship between people, their possessions and the spaces they inhabit. While photographing homes for Tokyo Style (1993), he encountered people who collected clothes with the dedication others gave to books or records. That observation led to Happy Victims, a series of photo essays published in Ryuko Tsushin between 1999 and 2006.
Working with shop assistants to find his subjects, Tsuzuki photographed collectors at home, surrounded by wardrobes devoted to individual labels. Many spent a substantial part of their income on clothing, with their collections occupying much of their living space. His interest centred on the people whose purchases supported the fashion industry, including collectors overlooked by the brands they followed. First published as a book in 2008, Happy Victims was reissued by Apartamento in 2025. Below are five selected photographs from the series.
Images: © Kyoichi Tsuzuki
